Clamp



Aug. 18, 1925.

G. BOUGHNER CLAMP Filed Feb. 27, 1924 Gro/ref. A. Bouwer/vra,

irren/yf ns.

Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

n 11,550,496 `Pixvriiivr -o-FricE.

GEORGEK. BOUGE-NER, OF YORBA LINDA, CALIFORNIA.

CLAMP.

y H.Application filed-'February 27, 1924. Serial No. 695,597.

*To all whom .it may concer/1i:

-Be itf known that yly Grenen K. BoUGi-r- NER, a citizenv ofthe'United States, vresiding `Vat Yorba Linda, inthe county of Orange and State ofj California, have invented a -ne-wsand useful- Clamp, of which the following isla specification.

IlMy presenty inventionC 'beingreferred to as clamp,"itmay 4be understoodto be an ob- 105 ject -of this invention to provide 'novel and efectivemeans 'for engaging andsecurely -retainingfrods or cables lor other articles in a predetermined position or relationship.

*ltris anobject of'thisinvention to pro- 4'vide means comprising two main compres- `sionelements or llevers, which-maybe compared with the complemental par @mit cracker, "for kgripping any interposed Yarticle or-'articlesg andl in `one advantageous is of 'a embodiment Of-inyinVentiQn, suitable for use in the gripping of pipes or rods, suchl as,

'forV example, what Yareknown kas the polish Arods off'an oil well outfltfl may pivotally -secureadjacent ends of the mentioned con `pression` elements'or-levers to Aan intercon- -necting orl base block.

kAt" intermediate points on the mentioned compression elements "or ljlevers, I may f provide novel resiliently supported @work-engaging elements orslips ofsomewhat special -"design; vand I; may also provide said coinf--pr'e'ssi'onelements ywith a novel lock orA locks and -witli-novel operating or compressing .meanscomprising a sliding wedge carry- *ing-a-raclrandmovable by `ahand lever, lwinch-maybe effective forthe rotation of 'wliat-fllinay term acam wedge or eccentric --fullcrunrineshingwith'said rack. `The last named wedge -inaybe a graver wedge in the sense that it may have `an operating radius increasing, during its tightening movement, would-be required merely to compensate for via concurrent diminution in the thickness of the slidin'gwedge, at the points or'lines of slightly more rapidly than its successive engagements therewith; and it isla further. object o'l' this invention to prof vide# an organization of the` general characiter referredto, and suitable for employment in various ltypes of clamps including drillingclamps as well as general utility clamps, 'with resilient locking means.

i:My polish rod clamp, lfor example,'may

'comprise both ya preliminary lock adapted v'tofretainthe operating parts in a position suitable for an application of power for a gripping effect and a final lock, andy said i final lock may comprise a toothed element adapted to engage a ratchet upon a side face of the mentioned sliding wedge, to releas ably retain the saine in gripping position.

ther objects of my inventiony will appear from the following description of an lbroken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view which may be regarded as taken yon the plane indicated vby the line 2-2 of Fig. l. i

Fig. 3 is a sectional view which may be regarded as taken substantially in the plane indicated by the line ^33lof Fig. 1.

' Fig. i is an enlarged detail view,which ina-yi be regarded as indicated by the broken line 4 4 of Fig. 1. n n

Referring to the details of that specific embodiment of my invention chosenfor pur-. poses of illust `ation, 10 kand 11` may be the inain compression yelements of a clamp which, instead of being pivoted directlyto `one another, vmay be separately pivoted to #base block 12, although retained tlieieinby means of a plate 14, throughwhieh may eX- :tend a screw 15, both the projections'l and the `block 12 being slotted to receive said plate.

Article-engaging means of any preferred type may be provided on the inner faces 'of the respective compression .elements 10, 11, the conliguration of said article-engaging elements being obviously n dependent upon the sizeand form of the articles to4 be retained thereby, and, in the embodiment `of my invention here illustrated, l may employ, as suitable for the engagement of a polish rod, means such as the `tapered slips 16, 16', shown as provided with dove-tailed guide or retaining feathers 17 and also with resilient returningmeans. The returning means referred to may be compressed springs 18, whose upper ends may be engaged by screws 19, secured in the respective slips, and whose lower or inner ends may be retained in any suitable way, as by screws 'upon a polish rod,

20, entering the respective compression elements. By such a construction as has been described, the slips 16, 16 may be normally retained in an elevated position in such manner that the application of a load thereon shall tend to improve their contact with, and engagement of, a rod or other article gripped.

In order to eect an initial gripping of an article, whether or not l. employ resilient slips of the character just described, may provide means comprising a plurality of wedges, one of which may be a sliding wedOe 2l provided with a rack 22 the b 7 L 7 other then being a gravei"7 wedge, which may be mounted for rotation and suitable to be alternatively characterized as a cam wedge or eccentric fulcrun 23; and, in the embodiment of my invention herein illustrated, the eccentric fulcrum 23 may be mounted ifor pivotal rotation upon a shaft 2e, extending through guide links 25, 25, both pivoted at 2G to the main compression element l0 and extending across the cooperating compression element il in such inanner as to permit the interposition oit the sliding wedge 21 in the manner illustrated, and engaged by a key 24, on

In order to retain the compression elements l0 and 1l in a position favorable to the gripping of an article, such as a polish rod 45, I may employ7 a preliminary lock such as is shown in Figs. l and 3, this lock consisting essentially ot' a tongue or staple 27, adapted to enter and loosely tit within a slot 28 in compression element ll, or to be withdrawn therefrom by means such as the key 29, provided with acam 30, engaging beneath the resilient supporting element 3l, shown as carrying the mentioned projection 27 and as secured by a screw 32.

In addition to the mentioned preliminary lock, or independently thereof, l may provide a final lock, adapted to retain the sliding wedge 2l in any position to which it may be brought by a rotation or' the eccentric fulcrum 23, shown as rigidly connected with a head 33, through which may extend a removable operating lever 34. My mentioned final lock may comprise a pawl or dog or toothed element 35, shown as provided with a spring 36, interposed between shoulders 37 and a fixed stop 38, the stem surrounded by said spring being surmounted by a handle 39, which may be dropped into a recess 40, to permit the teeth il to engage teeth 4t2 upon a lateral surface or' the wedge 2l, or which may alternatively be elevated into engagement with the upper surfaces oi stops 43, shown as integral with the fixed stop 38.

l t will be understood that, my clamp having been placed in approximate position or the like, and the key 29 having been so turned as to permit an entrance or' the projection 27, or my preliminary lock, into the slot 28, and the sliding wedge 2l having been placed in a position suitable for an engagement of its teeth 22 by the corresponding teeth of the eccentric fulcrum 23, any rotation of the latter element about its axis 2li, as by means of the lever 34, may be eil'ective to tighten my clamp, by reason of the tact that, although the movement oi' the lever 34 in the direction indicated by the arrow i4 may tend to bring the narrower end oi the said sliding wedge into an engaging position, the corresponding increase in the effective radius of the gravel wedge or eccentric fulcrum 23 may more than otlset the diminution in the thickness of said sliding wedge. For example, the pitch7 oi' the eccentric fulcrum 23 may be such as to produce a compressive movement amounting to an eighth of an inch for each advance ot' one inch in the sliding movenient or" wedge 2l. lt will, however, be understood that the ratios referred to must vary according to the specific use or the general use to which my clamp may be put, and also that the point or line of initial engagement between the sliding wedge 2l and the eccentric ulcrum 23 may be varied, to adapt my clamp to any desired use in the gripping of articles of diiierent sizes.

Although l have herein described one complete embodiment oi' my invention, it will be understood that various features thereof may be independently employed, and also that various modilications might be made by those skilled in the art, without the slightest departure from the spirit and scope of my invention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a clamp, the combination of: two compression elements provided with separate pivots respectively integral therewith and relatively movable to ei'lect a gripping action, means for ellecting said gripping action, and a pair or resiliently supported slips, each mounted for sliding movement transversely ot a compression element and retained against rotation therein.

2. In a clamp, the combination oi: a pair ol compression members pivotally secured to a common base block by integral particylindrical heads extending therein and a retaining plate extending through a slot in said block and through corresponding slots in said heads.

3. lfn a clap comprising a pair of compression membcrs pivoted for relative movement and provided with intermediate engaging means, a pair oi guide links secured to the outer end oi one ot said compression members and carrying an eccentric fulcrum, means for transmitting pressure through said fulcruni to the other oi said compression members and separate resilient means ior retaining' said compression members either rin a preliminary position or in a clamping position,

4. In a clamp comprising a pair of compression members plvotally mounted, the combination of; a air of guide elements secured to one of said compression members and extending across the other of said members, a sliding wedge between said guide elements and movable longitudinally of one of said compression members, andmeans comprising a graver Wedge rotatable to move said sli-ding Wedge, the tightening movement of Said rotatable wedge involving an approaching movement of the thinner end of said sliding wedge.

5. In a clamp comprising a pair of compression members pivotally mounted, rthe combination of: a pair of guide elements secured to one of said compression members and extending across the other of sai-d members, a sliding wedge between said guide elements and movable 'longitudinally of one of said compression ymembers; and means comprising a graver wedge rotatable to move said sliding wedge, the tightening effect obtainable by a given rotation of said rotatable wedge being dependent upon the initial relative position of said sliding Wedge. 4

In testimony7 whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 18th day of Februar 1924.

GEOR E K. BOUGHNER. 

